Greek philosopher Plato, reportedly once said, “The measure of a man is what he does with power.” And while he wasn't necessarily talking about electricity, or a country for that matter, his words carry an important message when we look at what has been happening in Indonesia recently, because maybe it isn't the "measure of a man," but the "measure of a country" and what it does with power that we need to focus on.

Local news wires recently reported that state owned electricity company, PLN, have launched a new "Super Power Service." Republika quote Djoko R Abumanan, Director of the East Java, Bali, and Nusa Tenggara Regional Office as saying PLN is committed to providing "convenience packages" to its customers.

Taking Indonesia in a new direction

According to Djoko "the convenience package consists of a Super Bill Solution, a Super Power Bank, a Super Premium All in One, a Super Smart Home plus IoT, and a Super Smart City."

While these objectives are ambitious, the fact they are being made public suggests PLN is heading in a new direction, not only in providing better quality services, but also in helping to guide Indonesia's future.

Djoko says the Super Bill Solution is a collaboration between PLN and Bank BRI and Bank Bukopin, which aims to make payments for electricity bills, transactions and installment fees light and easy.

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Super Power Services

The Super Power Bank service offers temporary connection services for people who want to hold events but could also be used for construction projects, which require a large and reliable electrical supply.

PLN is also offering a Super Premium All in One service, again with reliable electricity connections for homes, offices and industrial areas. This type of connection will also be ready with a safe customer installation certificate. 

The Super Smart Home services plus IoT (Internet of Things) is intended for people who want to embrace smart home facilities. Djoko said this service would also provide guarantee of electrical supplies to ensure IoT home options were able to function efficiently.

The last of the Super Power Services is called the Super Smart City and will be supported by an EMS (Energy Management System).

Joining the dots

These latest initiatives from PLN are part of a bigger picture.

Last year Gapura Bali reported PLN was ready to back Urban Waste Power Generation by supporting mechanisms allowing the company to directly negotiate a fair price with Independent Power Producers (IPP) including those producers who were previously classified as being of low capacity and therefore, not viable.

According to Nusa Bali, Planning Manager of PLN Bali Distribution, I Putu Putrawan is on record as saying "Whatever it is, PLN is ready to buy it. PLTSa can be treated the same as PLN's small internal power plants," he suggested.

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Discounts for those who contribute

A lot can happen in 12-months.

Since Gapura Bali's initial report, PLN has moved even further forward by offering discounts ranging from 50 to 75 to 100 percent to those customers who add power to the grid.

Republika are reporting M. Ikhsan Asaad, General Manager of PLN's Greater Jakarta Distribution, as saying the 50 percent discount, which applies to all PLN customers adding to the grid, will take effect from March 1, 2019 to April 30, 2019.

The 75 percent discount is for those customers adding to the grid who register proof of ownership for electric stoves and electric motors and this is valid from March 1, 2019 to December 31, 2019.

The 100 percent discount applies to customers who have electric cars and add to the grid. This will also be valid from March 1 through to the end of 2019.

Flexibility and creativity

Ikshan stated,  "PLN wants to provide convenience to customers to be more flexible in utilizing electricity," adding this power discount applies throughout Indonesia so long as someone has been a PLN customer since February 1, 2019, without phase changes, without migrating from postpaid to prepaid or vice versa, and without changing the allotment tariff class.

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Investing in an electric future

Here's one reason why - Antara News recently reported PLN had prepared the country's first charging station for electric vehicles together with the Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology (ITS) in Surabaya. This is part of a huge project to develop alternatives to fossil fuel driven transport in Indonesia.

PLN has prepared 103 electric recharging stations across South, Southeast and West Sulawesi.

Trials for electric vehicles and charging stations have moved off drawing boards and are currently being applied in Sulawesi. Recent Antara reports are suggesting PLN has prepared 103 electric recharging stations across South, Southeast and West Sulawesi. 

An interesting addition to this initiative is the concept of Truly Charging Stations, which PLN hopes to develop as destinations where users can conduct activities while charging their vehicles.

Alternative real estate initiatives

Andrzej Barski, from Harcourts Seven Stones, sees this as an exciting time to be exploring and developing alternative real estate initiatives. "If the real estate industry in Bali (and across Indonesia) embraced the idea of a green future, if we started to get creative, then we could start to see how we could best use commercial space with multiple-green-functionality. For example, Shopping Malls generating their own electrical supplies while being able to charge customer vehicles could become the new normal."

At a glance

• PLN's convenience package consists of a Super Bill Solution, a Super Power Bank, a Super Premium All in One, a Super Smart Home plus IoT, and a Super Smart City.
• PLN is offering discounts ranging from 50 to 75 to 100 percent to those customers who add power to the grid from March 1 through to the end of 2019.
• 50 percent discount, applies to all PLN customers adding to the grid until the end of April 2019.
• 75 percent discount for those customers adding to the grid who register proof of ownership for electric stoves and electric motors.
• 100 percent discount applies to customers who have electric cars and add to the grid.

Sources: Republika, Antara News, Gapura Bali, Nusa Bali, Pricewaterhouse Coopers

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